How to cut a chipboard with a jigsaw without chips?

Laminated chipboard is one of the most widespread materials used in the independent manufacture of furniture. You can talk about its advantages and disadvantages for a long time. But it is much more important to learn how to cut chipboard with a jigsaw without chips.

Experts and connoisseurs advise doing this kind of work with electric jigsaws, just because an ordinary hand hacksaw is too rough. It does not allow you to cut the material straight enough. The correct sequence of steps is as follows:

• preparation of tools (ruler, jigsaw, measuring tape, awl or other sharp device for drawing on chipboard);

• addition of these tools (if necessary) with a square for laying right angles;

• measuring the desired part (with a reserve of 0.2 cm so that you can fit);

• drawing a line along the ruler;

• in fact, the cut along the laid line;

• completion of the saw cut with sandpaper;

• with very poor quality of the end - rubbing it with a fine, similar in tonality to chipboard.

When it is planned to saw off everything without chips on one side, it is permissible to use saws with both upper and lower teeth. Most craftsmen prefer small, straight-toothed files. Such devices chip less material, but at the same time they work pretty well. After the saw cut, it is best to process the ends with emery stretched over even bars. If there is no ready-made crayon of a suitable color, you can mix different crayons, like paints in an artist's palette, and get a new color.

To cut without errors and moreover quickly, you must always take into account the brand markings. There is no universally binding standard for designations yet, but almost all companies strictly follow the classification developed by Bosch specialists. Or at least they indicate it along with their own abbreviations and terms. For cutting wood and wood-based products, CV files (sometimes referred to as HCS) are well suited.

Some inscriptions indicate in which mode the tool works optimally:

• basic - a simple blade that allows you to make a high quality clean cut;

• speed - a device whose teeth are set apart (this allows you to cut faster);

• clean - a canvas that has not been diluted (usually gives the cleanest cut).

If the workpiece is relatively thick, preferably a saw blade with large incisors that have not been set, then there will be minimal deviation from the vertical. The longitudinal (in relation to the fibers) cut is most often made with helical saws. For a transverse, a straight blade is better. When you plan to make a blank for furniture, it is advisable to choose a less productive, but more accurate tool. Since most of the saws on the market today cut the material as it is pulled in, the workpiece will need to be machined from the inside out.

When the file is selected, it is also necessary to properly saw the laminated board at home. Experts recommend sawing along a guide (a rail clamped in clamps is also suitable). If you use a new, unworn blade, you can cut the chipboard as cleanly as you would with a circular saw. It is advisable to turn on the jigsaw at the lowest speed possible.This will significantly increase the resource of each file used.

The canvases themselves are placed at right angles to the sole of the jigsaw. The easiest way to adjust the angle is with a square or protractor. Important: the straight line passing through the cutting edge of the tool must be parallel to the rigidly fixed part of the jigsaw. It is recommended to use special inserts to reduce the chance of splitting. But in order for them to work more efficiently, they usually cut the laminate layer on the side where the blade will come out.

For information on how to cut a chipboard with a jigsaw without chips, see the next video.